Do you want to make your first DIY veneer door? Or maybe you've already tried, but due to a lack of knowledge, you ended up ruining your door, and now you're looking for solutions to cut your veneer door cleanly and neatly. Don't worry, we've figured out how to cut down veneer doors using a clear guide that even you, as a beginner, can follow.
To cut veneer doors effectively, follow these simple steps that we have listed:
- Mark the length or width that you want to trim down using a pencil.
- Using a sharp utility knife, score the length of your line mark.
- Using a circular saw, adjust the blade’s depth along with the thickness of the veneer door.
- Don’t forget your safety, put some eye and hearing protection—use a mask if necessary.
- Turn the circular saw on, slowly work your way around the line mark of your veneer door.
- After successfully cutting the veneer door, sand the edges using fine sandpaper to smoothen the area.
Knowing the steps in cutting a veneer door properly is just the beginning. We still haven’t covered the essential tools needed and some quick tips to better manage your veneer. So, keep reading to prepare yourself for your veneer door adventure thoroughly.
Are Veneer Doors Solid?
Before you embark on your veneer door cutting project, take note that veneer doors are technically solid materials, consisting of thin sheets of wood for the core and exotic wood for the exterior. However, metaphorically speaking, it lacks the essential qualities of a pure intricately carved wooden door.
Genuine wood veneer is constructed out of very thin sheets of authentic wood that have been shaved from logs. If it has been taken off from a rolling log, it might resemble plywood grain, or it might resemble furnishing timber if it's cut flat into planks directly across the log.
This is created to employ robust and low-cost wood panels as the base of a wood door while having a premium exotic type of wood on the exterior. These relatively thin sheets are often the quickest and most convenient method of making a delicate inlay work seen on exquisite furnishings.
Veneer doors are a cost-effective alternative to solid wood doors, providing the very same texture and look.
Can You Cut A Veneer Door?
Yes, you can cut a veneer door to your liking, but unlike solid carved wood doors, cutting a veneer door needs a lot of patience and technique.
Veneer doors are semi-solid, meaning the outer layer of the door is the sturdiest among all parts. Its core is often made of glued plywood panels cut in thin slices. Because of this, veneer doors are prone to chipping when being cut—tiny bits of plywood shards get worn, decreasing its core sturdiness.
How To Cleanly Cut A Veneer Door?
To cut a veneer door cleanly, it is advisable to use a circular saw as it provides a more even and clean cut through the veneer door.
Also, choosing the right saw blade for the right job is a significant factor in achieving an excellent clean-cut, so you might want to invest in a durable and quality saw blade.
Check out this Forrest razor-sharp ply veneer blade on Amazon.
To start with cutting your veneer door, follow these steps:
- Identify the amount of wood that has to be removed from the door. Make a line mark using a pencil to assist you through the cutting procedure.
- Use a very sharp utility knife to score the line mark—run the knife through the line mark many times to make a shallow cut, which will keep the veneer door from ripping unevenly when you use the circular saw.
- Inspect the bottom of the circular saw. The shoe should be nice and tidy without any ding or burr around it. This can scratch the veneer as the circular saw shoe slides into the door.
- Adjust the depth of the blade to the door thickness plus a quarter inch.
- Ensure that the blade is positioned on the waste side of the line mark because once the edge accidentally drifts, the cut will surely never be pretty.
- Safety first: put your safety glasses and hearing protection before starting woodwork. If necessary, use a mask to prevent inhalation of wood dust.
- Place the circular saw on top of the veneer, and then slowly work your way through until the veneer is cut.
- After cutting the veneer, sand the edge to remove any sharp edges and small wood chips.
What Tools Can Be Used To Cut Veneer?
Generally speaking, veneer tools are pretty basic, except for a few specialist products that require some time to master the technique. However, it's essential to practice with most of them because they specialize in a given task.
Aside from a circular saw, here are some other essential tools that can be used to cut a veneer:
Veneer Saw
A classic saw that has been around for at least a century and is mainly used for cutting raw veneer.
Check out Robert Larson's two cherries veneer cutter on Amazon.
To cut a veneer with this saw, you would use a straight edge to guide the blade of the veneer saw over the veneer and then slowly make low-scoring cuts back and forth until the veneer breaks in half.
Veneer Trimmer
Helpful in trimming uneven sections of the veneer's margins, a veneer trimmer slices through the veneer with razor-sharp blades, leaving a flawless edge finish.
Check out this Cloverdale edge trimmer on Amazon.
Simply lay the trimmer evenly on the side of the veneer. Then slowly run it over the excess areas to cut them away.
Razor-Sharp Utility Knife
This multipurpose utility knife is a must-have for practically all carpenters and artisans. It doubles its purpose as a cutting tool.
Check out this KompaktGear utility knife on Amazon.
Use a utility knife to score the line mark to smoothen the cut and prevent further chipping.
Portable Wood Router
Machine trimming tools were devised to cope with the new age of woodworking, allowing for quick but high-quality wood finishes. This wood router allows for fast trimming of veneer edges, which increases the amount and quality of the material.
Grab this best seller Makita compact router on Amazon.
Couple it with this TackPro spiral flush-trim down-cut router bit on Amazon.
Place the compact router evenly on the side of the veneer and run it across the platform to shave off extra pieces of the veneer, precisely as you would with a manual trimmer.
How Do You Cut Veneer Without Chipping?
Solid hardwoods are generally easy to cut, resulting in minimal edge damage. Veneer wood, on the other hand, can be pretty aggravating due to its susceptibility to chipping.
The best approach is to double-check that everything in your cutting tools is in tip-top shape, then perform a practice cut or two to get a sense of what to expect once you cut the actual workpieces.
Fine, well-aligned, and well-performing tools are generally your best choice for minimizing this type of damage. Chipping and tear out can be minimized with practice and patience. Having the time and mindset to tackle woodworking in this manner is all that is required.
How Much Can You Shave Off A Veneer Door?
Veneer doors are a cost saver for most of the time and are very elegant to look at. However, one disadvantage is that, except for solid wood doors, veneer doors can only be cut from around 10 mm on each side.
This indicates that if you have unusually shaped door casings, you won't be able to use them and will be obliged to either invest additional money on solid wood doors or settle with less expensive, substandard doors.
Tips For Cleaning Veneer Doors
When it comes to keeping a veneer door, wax-based furniture polishes are recommended. They improve the beauty and increase the lifespan of your veneer door. Abrasives and brushes with sharp bristles should not be used on natural veneers because they can damage and scratch the surface.
Cleaning wood veneer using oil or ammonia-based chemicals might harm the surface or leave a cloudy surface.
In Closing
Veneer doors are the epitome of cost-saving but elegant-looking wood doors. Picking the right veneer door for your home will surely uplift your interior and exterior design. It will surely give you amounts of compliments because of how beautiful your veneer door is.
Cutting a veneer door might be challenging at first because of some circumstances that naturally occur when cutting one, but this will indeed take you in a breeze with the right tools, skills, and techniques.
When it comes to veneer doors, they stand out from the crowd for their stunning beauty and cost-saving price. However, security should always take precedence over elegance and beauty.
The following are some posts regarding locks and latches that we highly recommend for you to read:
